# Immunological Mechanisms of Disease Training Program

> **NIH NIH T32** · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $279,811

## Abstract

SUMMARY
The Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Immunological Mechanisms of Disease Training
Program (IMDTP) will fill a much-needed gap in the training of basic immunologic mechanisms of
human disease. The clinical translation of basic science immunology to benefit human health now
requires the development of scientists with appreciation of both inflammation and the tissues in which
it occurs. The primary focus of the IMDTP will be to provide pre- and postdoctoral trainees with the
expertise necessary to make novel discoveries in basic immunology and to translate these
discoveries to human disease. The IMDTP will provide trainees a skill set to address how the immune
system is regulated and functions in complex tissues in human disease by integrating basic
immunology and principles of pathology with a particular emphasis on chronic, inflammatory
diseases, and cancer. A long-term goal of the IMDTP will be to not only train the next generation of
research scientists in basic immunology, but to emphasize the importance of using acquired
knowledge as a translational platform on which to develop new therapies and interventions with a
high regard for responsible conduct of research and reproducibility. We plan to use an
interdisciplinary training approach building upon the Vanderbilt University program in Molecular
Pathology and Immunology. The training faculty has been specifically recruited from the greater
Vanderbilt scientific community conducting immunology-based research of chronic inflammatory
diseases and consists of twenty-six highly productive faculty with successful mentoring records. In
order to also allow for the training of future mentors, three mentors are at the Assistant Professor
level. All of the faculty mentors have successful histories training predoctoral and postdoctoral
scientists and have primary interests in immune- and inflammatory-based mechanisms of disease.
These research programs will provide highly developed, diverse, and interdisciplinary training
opportunities. All trainees will acquire and expand their skills in critical thinking, oral and written
communication and interrogation of the literature. These primary functions of the IMDTP will be
facilitated through our bi-weekly immunology and pathology seminar series and annual research
symposium. Training will include participation in courses and modules on both basic immunology and
pathology of disease processes. In addition, we will provide each trainee with the necessary
instruction on responsible conduct in science, rigor and reproducibility in research and information on
alternative career options. Funds are requested to support three predoctoral and two postdoctoral
trainees. Thoughtful mentoring of these trainees, made possible by the IMDTP, will ensure the future
of translational research focused on immunologic mechanisms of disease.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10173622
- **Project number:** 5T32AI138932-03
- **Recipient organization:** VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** AMY S MAJOR
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $279,811
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-08-05 → 2024-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10173622

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10173622, Immunological Mechanisms of Disease Training Program (5T32AI138932-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10173622. Licensed CC0.

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